Frenkie de Jong personalises autographs to deter signed shirt resellers | OneFootball

Frenkie de Jong has adopted a straightforward tactic to curb the resale of signed shirts, asking supporters for their first name before adding his autograph.

According to L'Équipe, the Barcelona midfielder, 29, who is recovering from a knee injury, personalises each shirt to make resale more complicated.

The resale of autographed shirts is common in Spain, where dozens of fans often wait outside training grounds for signatures. Some later list the items on specialist sites, trading on authenticity to command prices well above the original.

In a video posted on social media, the Dutchman asks every fan to give a first name before he signs. When one person stays silent, he refuses the autograph.

His approach links the memorabilia to a named individual, reducing its appeal and value to opportunist resellers.

Source: L'Équipe

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”